Man sentenced to more than 5 years in prison for ‘ghost gun’ sale gone wrong

St. Cloud, Minn. (KNSI) – A St. Paul man was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison stemming from a March 2022 shooting involving a “ghost gun” sale gone wrong in Avon, Minn. 

A ghost gun is assembled with individually purchased parts from the internet, so the gun is not able to be traced.

According to court records, 21-year-old Emmanuel “Smurf” Johnson of St. Paul pleaded guilty in October to first-degree aggravated robbery with a gun in Stearns County District Court and had two other counts dismissed in a plea agreement with prosecutors. 

Johnson met an 18-year-old buyer on March 8, 2022, on the 300 block of Char Avenue Northeast in Avon. The victim got into the backseat of a vehicle, and after $800 was handed over as agreed, Johnson allegedly demanded more money and shot the victim in the chest.

The victim fled the car and went to a nearby home for help.

Johnson was sentenced on Nov. 9 by Judge Andrew Pearson to just over five and a half years in prison. He was given credit for 78 days in jail and was ordered to pay $1,800 in restitution.

Story by Jake Judd / KNSI